These foods provide complex carbohydrates (starches), which are an important source of energy, especially in low fat diets.
They also provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 6 to 11 servings of these foods a day.
1 slice of bread
1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
No. It's what you add to these foods or cook with them that adds most of the calories. For example: margarine or butter on bread, cream or cheese sauces on pasta, and the sugar and fat used with the flour in making cookies.
Vegetables provide vitamins, such as vitamins A and C, and folate, and minerals, such as iron and magnesium. They are naturally low in fat and also provide fiber. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of these foods a day.
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Fruit and fruit juices provide important amounts of vitamins A and C and potassium. They are low in fat and sodium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 4 servings of fruits a day.
a medium apple, banana, or orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice
Meat, poultry, and fish supply protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. The other foods in this group - dry beans, eggs, and nuts - are similar to meats in providing protein and most vitamins and minerals. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each day of foods from this group. The total amount of these servings should be the equivalent of 5 to 7 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish per day.
Count 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish as a serving. A 3-ounce piece of meat is about the size of an average hamburger, or the amount of meat on a medium chicken breast half.
For other foods in this group, count 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg as 1 ounce of lean meat. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat (about 1/3 serving).
Counting to see if you have an equivalent of 5-7 ounces of cooked lean meat a day is tricky. Portions sizes vary with the type of food and meal. For example, 6 ounces might come from:
1 egg (count as 1 oz. of lean meat) for breakfast;
2 oz. of sliced turkey in a sandwich at lunch; and
3 oz. cooked lean hamburger for dinner.
Lean Choices BEEF Roasts/Steaks: Round Loin Sirloin Chuck Arm PORK Roasts/Chops: Tenderloin Center Loin Ham VEAL All cuts except ground LAMB Roasts/Chops: Leg Loin Fore Shanks CHICKEN & TURKEY Light & dark meat, without the skin FISH & SHELLFISH Most are low in fat; those marinated or canned in oil are higher |
The Shedd Aquarium of Chicago warns its visitors that, while the fish group is an essential part of a person's nutrition, it is important to be aware of the conditions under which the fish you eat was caught.
Best Choices: These are your best seafood choices! These fish are abundant, well managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. This group includes the following fish:
- Catfish (farmed) - Caviar (farmed) - Clams (farmed) - Crab: Dungeness - Crab: Snow (Canada) - Crab: Stone - Halibut: Pacific |
- Lobster: Spiny/Rock (US, Australia) - Mussels (farmed) - Oysters (farmed) - Salmon (wild-caught from Alaska) - Salmon (canned) - Sardines - Shrimp/Prawns (trap-caught) |
- Striped Bass (farmed) - Sturgeon (farmed) - Tilapia (US farmed) - Trout: Rainbow (farmed) - Tuna: Albacore (troll/pole caught) - Tuna: Bigeye (troll/pole caught) - Tuna: Yellowfin (troll/pole caught) |
Proceed With Caution: These are good choices, but there are some concerns with the way they are caught or farmed. They are, however, better choices than items in the Avoid column. This group includes the following fish:
- Clams (wild-caught) - Cod: Pacific - Crab: Blue - Crab: Imitation/Surimi - Crab: King (Alaska) - Crab: Snow (US) - Flounder: Summer/Fluke |
- Lobster: American/Maine - Mahimahi/Dolphinfish/Dorado - Oysters (wild-caught) - Pollock - Scallops: Bay - Scallops: Sea - Shrimp (US farmed or US wild-caught) |
- Soles (Pacific) - Squid - Swordfish (US) - Tuna: Albacore (longline-caught) - Tuna: Bigeye (longline-caught) - Tuna: Yellowfin (longline-caught) - Tuna (canned) |
Avoid: Avoid these products, at least for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment. This group includes the following fish:
- Caviar (wild-caught) - Chilean Sea Bass/Toothfish - Cod: Atlantic/Icelandic - Crab: King (imported) - Flounders: (Atlantic) except Summer Flounder - Groupers |
- Halibut: Atlantic - Monkfish - Orange Roughy - Rockfish/Rock Cod (Pacific) - Salmon (farmed/Atlantic) - Sharks |
- Shrimp (imported) - Snapper: Red - Soles (Atlantic) - Sturgeon (wild-caught) - Swordfish (imported) - Tuna: Bluefin |
* Some information provided by the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL
Milk products provide protein, vitamins, and minerals. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the best source of calcium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese a day - 2 for most people, and 3 for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, teenagers, and young adults to age 24.
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of process cheese
The following chart lists commonly used foods in each food group and the amount of fat in each. Only a few of the thousands of foods we eat are listed. However, they will give you an idea of foods from each food group that are higher and lower in fat.
The Food Guide Pyramid symbol (») next to the food items means that food is one of the lowest fat choices you can make in that food group.
You can use the food label to count fat in specific foods. Many labels on food lists the grams of fat in a serving.
To help you visualize how much fat is in these foods, keep in mind that 1 teaspoon (1 pat) of butter has 4 grams of fat.
For this amount of food... | count this many... | |
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group | ||
Eat 6 to 11 servings daily | Servings | Grams of Fat |
»Bread, 1 slice | 1 | 1 |
»Hamburger roll, bagel, english muffin, 1 | 2 | 2 |
Tortilla, 1 | 1 | 3 |
»Rice, pasta, cooked, 1/2 cup | 1 | Trace |
Plain crackers, small, 3-4 | 1 | 3 |
Breakfast cereal, 1 oz. | 1 | * |
Pancakes, 4" diameter, 2 | 2 | 3 |
Croissant, 1 large (2 oz.) | 2 | 12 |
Doughnut, 1 medium (2 oz.) | 2 | 11 |
Danish, 1 medium (2 oz.) | 2 | 13 |
Cake, frosted, 1/16 average | 1 | 13 |
Cookies, 2 medium | 1 | 4 |
Pie, fruit, 2-crust, 1/6 8" pie | 2 | 19 |
* Check product label |
For this amount of food... | count this many... | |
Vegetable Group | ||
Eat 3 to 5 servings daily | Servings | Grams of Fat |
»Vegetables, cooked 1/2 cup | 1 | Trace |
»Vegetables, leafy, raw 1 cup | 1 | Trace |
»Vegetables, nonleafy, raw, chopped 1/2 cup | 1 | Trace |
Potatoes, scalloped, 1/2 cup | 1 | 4 |
Potato salad, 1/2 cup | 1 | 8 |
French fries, 10 | 1 | 8 |
Fruit Group | ||
Eat 2 to 4 servings daily | Servings | Grams of Fat |
»Whole fruit: medium apple, orange, banana | 1 | Trace |
»Fruit, raw or canned, 1/2 cup | 1 | Trace |
»Fruit juice, unsweetened, 3/4 cup | 1 | Trace |
Avocado, 1/4 whole | 1 | 9 |
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group | ||
Eat 2 to 3 servings daily | ||
»Skim milk, 1 cup | 1 | Trace |
»Nonfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. | 1 | Trace |
Lowfat milk, 2 percent, 1 cup | 1 | 5 |
Whole milk, 1 cup | 1 | 8 |
Chocolate milk, 2 percent, 1 cup | 1 | 5 |
Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. | 1 | 4 |
Lowfat yogurt, fruit, 8 oz. | 1 | 3 |
Natural cheddar cheese, 1-1/2 oz. | 1 | 14 |
Process cheese, 2 oz. | 1 | 18 |
Mozzarella, part skim, 1/2 cup | 1 | 7 |
Ricotta, part skim, 1/2 cup | 1 | 10 |
Cottage cheese, 4 percent fat, 1/2 cup | 1/4 | 5 |
Ice cream, 1/2 cup | 1/3 | 7 |
Ice milk, 1/2 cup | 1/3 | 3 |
Frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup | 1/2 | 2 |
For this amount of food... | count this many... | |
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group | ||
Eat 5 to 7 oz. daily | Servings | Grams of Fat |
»Lean meat, poultry, fish, cooked | 3 oz. | 6 |
Ground beef, lean, cooked | 3 oz. | 16 |
Chicken, with skin, fried | 3 oz. | 13 |
Bologna, 2 slices | 1 oz. | 16 |
Egg, 1 | 1 oz. | 5 |
»Dry beans and peas, cooked, 1/2 cup | 1 oz. | Trace |
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp. | 1 oz. | 16 |
Nuts, 1/3 cup | 1 oz. | 22 |
Fats, Oil, and Sweets | ||
Use sparingly | ||
Butter, margarine, 1 tsp. | - | 4 |
Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. | - | 11 |
Salad dressing, 1 tbsp. | - | 7 |
Reduced calorie salad dressing, 1 tbsp. | - | * |
Sour cream, 2 tbsp. | - | 6 |
Cream cheese, 1 oz. | - | 10 |
Sugar, jam, jelly, 1 tsp. | - | 0 |
Cola, 12 fl. oz. | - | 0 |
Fruit drink, ade, 12 fl. oz. | - | 0 |
Chocolate bar, 1 oz. | - | 9 |
Sherbet, 1/2 cup | - | 2 |
Fruit sorbet, 1/2 cup | - | 0 |
Gelatin dessert, 1/2 cup | - | 0 |
What about alcoholic beverages? | ||
If adults choose to drink, they should have no more that 1 to 2 drinks a day. Alcoholic beverages provide calories, but little or no nutrients. These standard-size drinks each provide about the same amount of alcohol. | ||
Alcoholic Beverages | ||
Calories | ||
Beer, 12 fl. oz. (1 regular can) | 150 | |
Wine, dry, 5 fl. oz. | 100 | |
Liquor, 1-1/2 oz. * | 100 | |
* A mixer such as a soft drink will add more calories. |
How to Rate Your DietYou may want to rate you diet for a few days. Follow these four steps. Step 1.
Step 2. Write down the number of grams of fat in each food you list.
|
Step 3. Answer these questions:
How did you do? Too much? About right?
How did you do? Too much? About right? Step 4. Decide what changes you can make for a healthier diet. Start by making small changes, like switching to lowfat salad dressings or adding an extra serving of vegetables. Make additional changes gradually until healthy eating becomes a |
When I first published The 7 Critical Questions to Ask Before Letting Any Surgeon Touch You, I had no idea that it would be so popularly received. Since its publication, this brief guide has helped thousands like you to more safely navigate the world of cosmetic surgery. The 7 Questions have been updated and a bonus section, Applying the 7 Questions, has just been added. Be my guest to read, learn and share.